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Monday, May 28, 2007

Vacation

Thursday we left for France around noon and had a fast right through the Netherlands and Belgium. We tried to get a hotel in Luxembourg, but had trouble finding a room. We decided to drive a bit farther to France and we have slept just outside Metz in a Novotel. It was a nice Hotel with some nice food. The next morning after breakfast we did our first good thing for this vacations. There was a couple from the UK where the accu died on their car and we gave them a boast so they could ride back home. Well I think his wife was a bit annoyed with her husband as he lat the light burn all night Well I have talked a bit with her and than she got a bit nicer to her husband.Than we drove south. Around Nancy we went to put in some gas in the car and than the fun started. I got a bit confused about all the pumps . Than a guy (backpacker) came to us and I just hoped he wasn't going to say anything difficult in France, but he said something in dutch and told me I had to get another pump. So I did and my husband already said, maybe he wants a ride and while my DH was getting gas he asked he good get a ride together with a lady friend of his. They were doing a race with 29 other couples from Belgium to get as fast as possible to Malaunce (close to Orange and the Mont Ventoux), and the winner would get a little trip somewhere in the world. So we said we would go to Orange and that they could ride with us. They were with this organisation . We were a day earlier. So we decided to bring them to their camping and than find ourself a hotel or Chambre D'hotes. We had a fast drive and when just before Orange there was a trafficjam, because a dutchman and his mobilehome where all over the highway we said we had phoned hime to do that so they could win off course we didn't do that. Nico and Tessa were the first ones to arrive, even a lot of the organisation weren't arrived yet. We got a drink, made a pic and went to find a chambre. We had some problems with that as it was very hard to find something, but finally we found a nice and neat place, just 3,5 km outside of Malaunce. Than we unloaded the car and found a sweater that didn't belong to us and as they were backpackers we decided to bring it to them as you don't take a lot with you when you have to pack everything in a backpack. So we climbed in the car again and Nico was very happy we brought his sweater. They decided we could eat with them. Well now I have to explain a little bit. When you go to a camping in the netherland with a group normally there isn't a cook with the organization, but with this organization they took a cook with them (even a few) and they prepared some great diner. We got as a starter couscous with vegatbles, smoked salmon and dressing and it was delicious. Than we got Rosti with some stuffed meat and fruitsauce and that was delicious too. We got home late that night and had a nice sleep in a very soft bed with one matrass. One time my DH turned and I did too around the same time and I almost fell out of bed as I jumped very high above the bed. As you

can see on the pic the chambre d'hotes looked great. But the next morning we had great language difficults, there were also german people in one of the rooms and so we talked english, french, german and dutch within 24 hours, belive me than you get really confused in your words.

On Saturday we couldn't be in our hotel before noon. So we deicided to climb the Mont Ventoux by car, yeah I am not crazy by bike it was to big (1909 meters high). So we too a nice ride and when we came at the start of the mountain we found again some backpackers from the belgium group. Now they had to get up the Mont Ventoux.

First get to a point 6 km from the top by car and than 2 had to hike, one had to do it by bike and one could find someone to get them a ride to the top. So we took 2 to the point 6 km's from the top and later we took one to the real top. I have to say the sight was really beautifull. as you can see on the pics. This man on the pic I don't know, but I am sure he was happy to be at the top.

Than we got down and went to our hotel which was beautifull, with big rooms and a swimmingpool, that was what I missed on vacation in Ital last week. The temperatures went rising through the week from 25 to almost 40 at the end of the week. When we came back from the bikeride of that day we went swimming straight away to cool down a bit. We only didn;t do a bikeride on thursday to get some rest after 200 km.

The first day we went for the hardest ride. It was around 50 km and took us to a tower on top of a mountain. You can see a pic on the background here. The ride to it was really very very hard and I was exhausted around the time John took the pic. Also we had some nice looks on lavander fields.

It was a nice ride, but very very hard. The next day we did a ride to Bolene, Mondragon, Monras and Rochegude. It was 49 km's, but due to us get lost it was 10 km's longer. In that route was the col in my latest post. It was a nice ride and not as hard as the day before. There was a nice french man who helped to get on the right track again.

A the end I will include some pics of sights we have seen.

The next day we biked to Vaison la Romain. It was the longest ride of around 65 km. It was very hot and sunny that day and everything hurt from the first two days, but after a while we got in a flow and it went better. Vaison was very beautifull and we got to see the big theater which was just very impressive in real life. We had a very nice lunch in Villedieu which is on top of a mountain. They had nice tapas there and it was a nice light lunch for such a hard tour. We got back around 6.30 at the hotel and than we met someone from Eigenwijze reizen and had a nice chat about this vacation and the one to Italy. They had put this one on one bike, but well that means you can do it easy and it wasn;t true all the rides we did were very heavy.

When we got back to the hotel we heard that Luc and Sonja, a begium couple, got a flat tire on their ride and Luc had walked 12 km to the hotel back to get the car.

The next day we did a short ride of 22 km and were glad to come home. Later Luc and Sonja came at the hotel walking and they had again a flat tire. So my husbandhelped them to change to tire as that is his job at home it went very fast. Luc said I will put the bike in the car and will not use it again this vacation, well I could see that as he now walked for 4 km's.

The next day we sat at the swimmingpool and lunched together with Luc and Sonja and had a nice relaxing day. I tried to take a pic out of the car of the castle in our villagem which is now a wine university. It was a good focus point when you were lost again.

The next day we talked Luc and Sonja in to join us that ride and they did. We had such a great day with 40 km's and again a lot of sun and also wine. And at the end they were happy they decided to join us after all on the ride. Than the packing of the suitcases waited and a nice last meal before heading home the next day. We drove to Echternach in Luxembourg to stay there for a night and than drove back to our house.

It was a nice vacation and I hope to have something the same in September.